Articles

Interview for BOOM Magazine

by Mary Yates for BOOM Magazine

Describe your space, what's going on now and what your plans are.
The space is a one-of-a-kind municipal project – a medical clinic – built by the Portland Mothers Board with funds donated by Mrs. J.B. Speed in 1926 on 1/3 an acre on Portland Avenue. Due to the building’s unique construction, its basement and foundation sit half out of the ground making the first floor a good 10-12 feet off street level with a grand flight of stairs leading to the front door.

Inside, the building consists of a group of about 10 small rooms – some old exam rooms – symmetrically nestled around one large room with 19-foot tall ceilings with clearstory windows at the very top to let in a ton of natural light. The building is practically a bunker; constructed without wood, but from steel mesh and concrete, three layers of brick on the exterior and a million windows. This is great because not much structurally has to be repaired, but not so great because my estimates for work triple when the contractor realizes they’ll be cutting out concrete walls and not drywall.

Now, the building’s 10 perimeter rooms are complete. The roof has been completely replaced and 2500 square feet of asbestos floor tile has been removed. All of the large picture windows and remaining windows on the main level have been replaced; old pipes removed and replaced with PVC; two rooms were opened up and a kitchen was added in their place; and the section I lovingly call my “executive suite” was finished for use as my office and library.

My plans for the future are to use a small part of the space as my offices where I can operate my web and graphic design business. The entire basement will be my art studio. The bulk of the space will be devoted to the exhibition of contemporary art. My plans are to show experimental works by regional artists with a focus on collaborative works and curated exhibitions, and offer room for proposed exhibits.

How do you think Portland fits in the downtown arts district expansion?
I don’t think Portland fits into the downtown arts district expansion at all. It is something all its own, a collection of a few creative types slowly doing what they are driven to do in a place that is comfortable to them.

Do you think the public at large will be receptive to what's going on in your area? Yes, absolutely. Louisville has always been very good to me and my peers. Crowds have attended functions in old warehouses in unfamiliar settings for the past 10 years I’ve been here. My past few studios always had a great support base of people who not only attended but supported by purchasing work. We are very lucky in Louisville to have the support from writers in the local press. From the daily paper to weekly publications, to monthly and quarterly magazines, I’ve found that getting the word out about an event has never been a problem. 

In the next 5 years what needs to happen in Portland to have the same kind of growth that we are seeing in the East Market district and central downtown? That question I could never answer. I doubt Portland could even be capable of sustaining that kind of growth in that time span; the infrastructure just isn’t there. More importantly, for growth to happen on a larger level, people’s perception of the West End of Louisville must change. What I do foresee is a gradual shift in its growth as people begin to move inward. In my opinion, the suburban growth in this city has gotten unbelievably ugly. When I visit someone’s home for the first time that lives in the suburbs, I don’t think “what a nice, safe, quiet neighborhood.” I think “OK…it took a quarter tank of gas to get here from the Highlands” or “wasn’t this neighborhood a farm 5 years ago?”

How receptive to the creative lifestyle do you think your neighbors are? Have they given you any feedback? I’ve had a studio in Portland for almost 5 years total and this building for close to 8 months of that. The neighbors have always been open to what we’re doing, many of them happy to see good use coming from buildings that were once eyesores dotting the landscape. My studio neighbors in Portland are nicer than the neighbors I have in the Highlands. Nothing against the Highlands, but I’ve lived there 10 years now and barely know my neighbors. To me that says a lot about a neighborhood and its people. In Portland, my neighbors have even called me because they thought something suspicious was going on, but it was just a contractor inspecting the foundation.

How do you see creative expansion shaping the neighborhood and who are the key people there now that are investing in the area? The biggest way we creatives are making an impact on the neighborhood is by creating new uses for old spaces. The spaces we occupy are historic, unique, and by no stretch of the imagination “cookie-cutter”. The glass artist and assistant professor of the University of Louisville Glass Arts Program, Che Rhodes, works and lives out of large, old boarding house. Husband and wife artists Aron Conoway and Hallie Jones once operated out of one of the city’s oldest churches and are co-owners of Nelligan Hall, a historic social hall. I work out of an old medical clinic with best friend and painter, Nico Jorcino, and my old studio was in a 120-year old, 110,000 square foot tobacco warehouse that is now occupied by several local bands and contemporary artist Cynthia Norton.

Do you have any thoughts about the so called "creative class" and how they influence neighborhoods like Portland? I think what is going on in Portland is exactly what happens in cities all across the country. Artists go where there is an abundance of affordable space; they create a “scene” and make the area somewhat of a hotspot. Then, slowly, people follow. Unfortunately, part of that equation, historically, has been that the artists can no longer afford to live there, and move on to the next neglected part of town and the process continues all over again. But, that’s why I bought my building instead of renting it.

I think what the few of us are doing in Louisville’s West End can teach the rest of the city a lesson. The location is exceptional – I’m just one exit from Downtown. Also, that the parts of town we’re working – and some living – in are really just that, parts of town. From the first month I lived in Louisville I was warned that anything past 9th street was to be avoided. I kick myself for believing that as long as I did and am happy I ventured west in the spirit that made this city. I think it takes people with the ability to see past boundaries to make a measurable change. Now, I try to avoid anything east of the Highlands if I can.

Do you think "branding" plays a role in the success of an area (i.e. think Soho or East Market Gallery District)? I think it does, but only at the end-level.  When artists were working in New York, they didn’t say they were going to their studio in Soho, Noho or DUmBo, they were just going to their studios and working. It was only when the idea of living in a great location had to be sold by developers and people with the money to turn a warehouse into a slick, modern space that brands entered the equation.

Any other thoughts on creative living? Imagine how boring life would be without creativity and innovation. It’s my sincerest hope that this city will continue to support what is different, unique, and forward-thinking.